Ph.D. Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2018
M.A. Political and International Studies, Rhodes University, 2010
B.A. Sociology and History, Gettysburg College, 2008
Stephanie Bonnes is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven. Her research is qualitative and broadly focuses on gender the intersections of victimization, identity, inequality, violence, and organizations. Her book Hardship Duty: Women’s Experiences with Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, and Discrimination in the U.S. Military, focuses on the puzzle of how sexual abuse remains highly prevalent in an organization that has dynamic policies, prevention strategies, and evolving education programs designed to combat sexual violence. Drawing primarily on in-depth interviews with fifty servicewomen, Hardship Duty uncovers how masculinity and misogyny are entangled in the organization’s structure, policies, values, physical spaces, and culture in ways that create sexual abuse vulnerability.
Her scholarship on military harassment and sexual violence has won awards from the Sociologists for Women in Society, the Sex and Gender Section and the Peace, War, and Social Conflict Section at the American Sociological Association, as well as the Division of Feminist Criminology and the Division of Victimology at the American Society of Criminology. Her work has been published in American Sociological Review, Gender & Society, Feminist Criminology, and Violence Against Women as well as media outlets such as the Washington Post.
Book
Bonnes, Stephanie. 2023. Hardship Duty: Women’s Experiences with Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, and Discrimination in the U.S. Military. New York: Oxford University Press.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (Student co-authors italicized)
Bonnes, Stephanie Kylie McCarthy, and Samantha Tosto. 2024."‘My coping doesn't really matter:’ How Military Lawyers Navigate Vicarious Trauma through Emotional Labor and Emotion Work.”Feminist Criminology.
Bonnes, Stephanie and Samantha Tosto. 2023. “Prosecuting Military Sexual Assault: The Entanglement of Military Discourse and Victim Stereotypes in Prosecutor Case Strategies.” Feminist Criminology vol. 18, no. 5: 459-489.
Tosto, Samantha and Stephanie Bonnes. 2023. “She clearly thought that something bad had happened to her:” How military lawyers construct narratives of victim legitimacy and perceived harm in sexual assault cases.” Armed Forces and Society.
Bonnes, Stephanie. 2022. “Femininity Anchors: Heterosexual relationships and pregnancy as sites of harassment for U.S. Service Women." American Sociological Review vol. 87, no. 4: 618-643.
Bonnes, Stephanie and Jeffrey Palmer. (2021). “The U.S. Marine Corps’ Response to Intimate Partner Sexual Violence: An Analysis of The Family Advocacy Program and the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program.” Armed Forces & Society vol. 48, no. 3: 609-633.
Bonnes, Stephanie. 2021. “An Intersectional Approach to Military Sexual Violence.” Sociology Compass vol 15, no 12.
Bonnes, Stephanie. 2020. “Service-women’s responses to Sexual Harassment: The Importance of Identity Work and Masculinity in a Gendered Organization” Violence Against Women vol. 26, no. 12-13: 1656-1680.
Bonnes, Stephanie. (2017). “The Bureaucratic Harassment of U.S. Servicewomen.” Gender & Society vol. 31, no. 6: 804-829.
Bonnes, Stephanie and Janet Jacobs. 2017. “Gendered Representations of Apartheid: The Women’s Jail Museum at Constitution Hill.” Museum & Society vol. 15, no. 2: 153-170.
Selected Media Commentaries
Bonnes, Stephanie. 2020. “What Can Stop Sexual Harassment in the U.S. military?” The Monkey Cage at The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/07/13/what-can-stop-sexual-harassment-us-military
Bonnes, Stephanie. 2018. "How Bureaucracy can Help Maintain Sexism and Inequality in the U.S. Military." London School of Economics American Politics and Policy Blog. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2018/09/25/how-bureaucracy-can-help-maintain-sexism-and-inequality-in-the-us-military/
Bonnes, Stephanie. 2017. "The Bureaucratic Harassment of U.S. Servicewomen" Gender & Society Blog: https://gendersociety.wordpress.com/2017/12/07/the-bureaucratic-harassment-of-u-s-servicewomen/
Bonnes, Stephanie. 2017. "Sexual Harassment, Bureaucracy, and Discretionary Power in the U.S. Military." Work in Progress Blog: https://workinprogress.oowsection.org/2017/12/13/sexual-harassment-bureaucracy-and-discretionary-power-in-the-us-military/
Violence Against Women, Sexual Abuse, Workplace Harassment, Victimology, Crime and Organizations, Intersectionality, Racial and Gender Inequality, Race, Gender, and Crime
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, associate professor of criminal justice, delivered the keynote address at the 2024 National Discussion on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at America’s Colleges, Universities, and Military Service Academies.
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, assistant professor of criminal justice, underscores the profound impact of a whistleblower's social media post that sparked a viral conversation about sexual harassment and toxic leadership in the Coast Guard, a crucial issue that for years has been overlooked.
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, assistant professor of criminal justice, discusses sexual assault prevention in the military, as a report was released about a lack of prevention specialists. Bonnes recently authored Hardship Duty – Women’s Experiences with Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, and Discrimination in the U.S. Military.
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, assistant professor of criminal justice, discusses the newest data from the U.S. Department of Defense that indicate harassment and sexual assaults in military academies throughout the United States are increasing.
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, assistant professor of criminal justice, comments on the effectiveness of an employee walkout that brought attention to harassment and discrimination allegations at this company.
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, assistant professor of criminal justice, discusses workplace harassment and says harassers need to be held accountable.
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, associate professor of criminal justice, talks about victims of sexual harassment and how ‘bureaucratic harassment’ begins with those that will retaliation to protect the perpetrator.
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, associate professor of criminal justice, talks about the investigation into the sexual harassment charges against Andrew Cuomo and how he retaliated against his victims and offers advice for those this happened to or witnessed.
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, associate professor of criminal justice, says that unwanted behavior does not have to be sexual in nature to constitute sexual harassment under the law.
In the Media
Stephanie Bonnes, assistant profess of criminal justice, discusses the report from the Attorney General in New York on the sexual harassment and retaliation investigation against Governor Andrew Cuomo.
In the Media
Stephanie Boones, assistant professor of criminal justice, wrote an article on sexual and bureaucratic harassment being used to force women out of the military.